Maynard has set out to climb some of the highest mountains on Earth. He has already conquered Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa and Mount Aconcagua in South America. This, no doubt, is a daunting mission for anyone, but Maynard was born without a complete set of arms and legs. In order to overcome physical mountain climbing challenges, he called on Kahtoola and Flagstaff engineers to design and fit him with individualized crampons to help him summit and achieve extraordinary goals. In doing so, Maynard has inspired the world with the power of technology, creativity and the human spirit.

“Kyle Maynard is an amazing individual. He has these carbon fiber orthotics that he puts on, and we were able to mount some micro spikes on the rear sections and then some little crampons on the front and he was successful in his Kilimanjaro climb. That set him off on the first round of what’s becoming possibly a seven summits attempt,” said Kahtoola Founder and engineer Danny Giovale of Flagstaff. “He’s now climbed Aconcagua and we came and re-doubled our efforts and redesigned those to include full-blown crampons on the rear and front that has a harness system that he can take on and off. It’s just so cool to be able to work with such an inspiring person. Personalizing gear to fit Kyle goes right along with what we do with our other products – trying to increase the capabilities of humans.”

“When I was first asked how I was going to be able to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, my answer was, ‘I don’t know,’” said Maynard. “These are three of the most important words of my life. All discoveries happen from ‘I don’t know.’”

Learn more about Kyle’s amazing story here and then come to the presentation.

Free tickets at the door for first-come, first served. Or pick up or print out tickets in advance through the NAU Central Ticket Office (nau.edu/cto; 928-523-5661).

Engineering Solutions in Motion

NAU Community Dance Academy

7 p.m. Friday, September 22nd
NAU’s Ardrey Auditorium

Enjoy this pre-keynote performance as the NAU Community Dance Academy expresses the magic of technology in motion.